Does the Society run its own labs?

How does the Society decide which direction we should be taking in research?

Strategic research decisions are made through a process of consensus building among advisors and specially constituted groups engaged for this purpose. Our Research Programs Advisory Committee (see Peer Review committees) is charged with ongoing review of the state of MS research and recommending areas for new focus or changed emphasis. The Society is currently engaged in consensus-building on a Roadmap to guide our research funding in coming years.

What percentage of Society expenses supports the research mission?

According to our latest annual report, research programs accounts for 39 percent of all Home Office expenses. When expenditures of our nationwide network of chapters and the Home Office are combined, research accounts for 17 percent of all money spent by the Society.

What promise do stem cells hold for people with MS?

In November 2015, the International Conference on Cell-Based Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis was convened in Lisbon, Portugal under the auspices of the International Advisory Committee on Clinical Trials in MS (a group jointly sponsored by the National MS Society and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis). Participants reviewed current experience with, and value of, specific cell-based therapies. A review of the findings and consensus on next steps will be published by the conference organizers, with recommendations to help speed the development of new cell-based treatment solutions. Read more

Where does the Society’s research money go?

Our research money supports a spectrum of grants, collaborations and training fellowships, which includes support for research personnel, supplies and equipment. We also support scientific workshops to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas and to facilitate communication of new findings in a field that, woing to the nature of MS, encompasses may different scientific disciplines.